Rows of canned foods and prepackaged snacks sat stacked in the basement of the Early Head Start building in Pittsfield. A small group of volunteers began moving down the line, placing one of each item in bags to be delivered to children in town.

This process takes place each week as part of Pittsfield’s participation in End 68 Hours of Hunger, a national initiative that provides food support for children extending beyond the school week.

“It’s designed to fill the gap between the time they leave school on Friday and the time they get to school on Monday morning. These foods will fill that gap for them,” said Pittsfield school district’s family support coordinator Kate Price. The school district also provides these children with free breakfast and lunch during the school week.

The New Hampshire Food Bank estimates that one in seven children in New Hampshire experiences food insecurity.

Ahead of each weekend, participating students receive three dinners, two breakfasts, two lunches, and several snacks, all delivered to their homes by volunteers. While Pittsfield’s school system previously had a weekend meal program, this year marks a merger with End 68 Hours of Hunger, thus combining the efforts of Pittsfield and neighboring Barnstead, with the food storage and bagging area housed in Early Head Start. Currently, 93 children participate across both towns and 57 live in Pittsfield.

Sarah Hodgdon, whose two children, ages 10 and 11, receive meals through the program, says it’s made a huge difference to her family since they began participating in Barnstead two years ago.

“This has been helping a lot,” Hodgdon said. “They give us snacks and juice boxes and milk and cereal and mashed potatoes and stuffing, especially through the holidays. They’ve helped me with some Christmas presents, they’ve had Easter baskets, not just food.”

Hodgdon is the sole source of income for her household ever since her husband was injured in an accident. The food delivered to her children allows her to shop for groceries without worrying as much.

“I won’t have to get as much stuff because of the program,” Hodgdon said. “I don’t have to pick up as many snacks for them. When I can’t provide a gallon of milk, they’ll drink that boxed milk.”

Lori Mahar has been involved with the program since its second year in Barnstead when she and another volunteer took over from the social worker who began the partnership with 68 Hours of Hunger. She has helped sustain it over the past seven years, including through the merger with Pittsfield.

“We give them fresh bread every week. We give them the staples that they need to get by – that stuff costs a lot of money,” Mahar said. “It warms my heart that we can provide, even if it’s just this little bit of food, it’s a help for them. A huge help.”

A number of students in Pittsfield experience a lack of stable housing, according to Price, the other largest need for kids in the community along with a lack of food.

”I’ve seen more families becoming involved in this over time,” she added.

According to 68 Hours to End Hunger program coordinator Tony Palmieri, 70% of the food distributed to families comes from the New Hampshire Food Bank. The other 30% comes from donations and grant funding.

Mahar emphasized the importance of community support to keep the program running.

“I want to see the program be sustained because it’s run solely by donations and fundraising,” Mahar said. “We need people who can volunteer and use their own gas to deliver the food. That’s our biggest need right now.”

Darlene Batza, who got involved as a volunteer through Joy Church, just began helping bag meals this fall.

“We decided this would be a great outreach for us to help the community. We’re always trying to do things to help the community,” she said. “We have six or seven people now on the team, so we can provide two people every week to help with this. We feel honored to be able to help,” Batza said.

Meal bagging for Pittsfield happens on Thursdays, and Fridays in Barnstead.

“It’s a very giving community,” Price said. “The kids are well taken care of by the community members. If I reach out and say ‘Hey, I have a need for shoes, jackets, backpacks,’ it’s filled within days. It’s literally amazing the amount of support that people have here.”

Hodgdon urged people to learn more about how the program can be a resource to their families.

“Don’t be afraid to ask, because they’re willing to help,” Hodgdon said.

To register for the program, visit https://registration.end68hoursofhunger.org/. Those looking to donate should do so through End 68 Hours of Hunger Pittsfield/Barnstead.

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@cmonitor.com.